Amazon took center stage in the sports universe Thursday as the tech giant streamed its first exclusive NFL game — and for the most part, it passed the test. The game streamed without any major hiccups or outages. Some fans reported glitches and poor sound quality, but Amazon’s streaming technology seemed to hold up overall, a baseline requirement for any live sports game being aired on the internet. Amazon’s high-profile NFL deal — which will cost a reported $11 billion over the next 11 years — is part of the company’s bid to grow its content library, bolster its advertising arm,… Read More
The Seattle Mariners and their fans would certainly be happy to have a few more walk-off wins this season. Perhaps a new “Walk-Off Market,” complete with Amazon’s cashierless technology, will satisfy their appetites for now. The new food and beverage store at T-Mobile Park debuted on Monday night, bringing Amazon’s Just Walk Out tech to another sports venue in the city and presenting customers with the chance to skip long concession stand lines and return to their seats quickly. On a night when the struggling Mariners drew just over 14,000 fans for a game against the Oakland A’s, the Walk-Off… Read More
Fans eager to return to their seats faster after a beer run at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park will get some help from Amazon technology this summer. The Seattle Mariners and hospitality partner Sodexo Live! announced Wednesday that they will be using Amazon’s “Just Walk Out” cashierless tech and Amazon One palm-scanning tech at the team’s home ballpark in a new “Walk-Off Market.” It’s the first time both retail technologies will be utilized in a Major League Baseball ballpark. The Houston Astros will be using Just Walk Out in two stores at Minute Maid Park. Walk-Off Market is slated to open sometime this… Read More
Amazon has officially announced that veteran sports play-by-play announcer Al Michaels and college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit will be the broadcast duo for “Thursday Night Football” on Prime Video. Both Michaels and Herbstreit had previously been reported as Amazon’s choices when “TNF” kicks off this fall on Sept. 15. Amazon will stream games exclusively on Prime after signing an 11-year deal last year with the NFL in the league’s first all-digital pact with a media partner. Michaels is a longtime play-by-play broadcaster, with 36 years calling NFL games in prime time, including most recently on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football.” In… Read More
Al Michaels, the longtime NFL play-by-play broadcaster, is Amazon’s pick to call “Thursday Night Football” games streaming on Prime Video this season, according to the New York Post. Michaels will join ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit in the booth — another hire by the tech giant, reported earlier this month. Michaels, 77, had been calling “Sunday Night Football” games for NBC and just did his 11th Super Bowl for the network last month. The move to Amazon comes after Joe Buck and Troy Aikman jumped from Fox over to ESPN to handle “Monday Night Football.” Buck signed a 5-year,… Read More
